IIT Guwahati pioneers Nanotech Advancements with Inauguration of SWASTHA Project and ISO 5 and 6 Clean Room Facilities
Publish Date:09-02-2024
IIT Guwahati pioneers Nanotech Advancements with Inauguration of "SWASTHA" Project and ISO 5 and 6 Clean Room Facilities
Ø Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, attended the inauguration event as the Chief Guest
Ø The ISO 5 and 6 Clean Room Facilities are the first of their kind in the North Eastern region of India
Ø This development aims to revolutionize healthcare through advanced nanoelectronic theranostic devices
Ø This state-of-the-art facility will immensely augment the Indian Semiconductor Mission and Quantum Mission programmes
GUWAHATI, 9th February 2024: Hon’ble Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, Shri S. Krishnan, inaugurated the groundbreaking SWASTHA project and the state-of-the-art ISO 5 and 6 Clean Room Facilities at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati’s Centre for Nanotechnology on 9th February 2024, in the presence of Prof. Rajeev Ahuja, Officiating Director, IIT Guwahati, Dr. Sandip Chatterjee, Senior Director/ Scientist G and Dr. Sangeeta Semwal, Scientist D from MeitY, Prof. Akshai Kumar A S, Head, Centre for Nanotechnology, Prof. Dipankar Bandyopadhyay, Head, School for Health Science and Technology, Prof. Vimal Katiyar, Dean R&D, Prof. Parameswar K. Iyer, Dean PRBR from IIT Guwahati.
Speaking during the event Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, said, “The successful establishment of the Clean Room Facilities and the implementation of the SWASTHA Centre for Excellence is an epoch-making event in the North-Eastern region because the young human resources of the region can now utilize these world-class high-end facilities available at their doorstep to pursue their lofty scientific and technological dreams. It is of great importance to note that the Nano Centre, IITG has delivered an array of frugal low-cost technologies that will cater to the needs of the society. As the Secretary, MeitY, GoI, that has supported this growth of the Center, it is indeed a sense of celebration for me to be a part of this journey along with the IIT Guwahati fraternity. This could have been possible only because of the un-conditional leadership that the faculty members have shown apart from the commitment of the budding scholars and high-quality students ably backed up by the very efficient IIT Guwahati administration who have displayed remarkable tenacity in establishing the Centre. In, short this has been phenomenal start to this pioneering Centre in the North-East India which has set a new benchmark for all such activities to follow not only in this region but also in the country.”
Supported by MeitY, the Centre of Excellence on SWASTHA, "Smart Wearable Advanced nanoSensing Technologies in Healthcare ASICs," aims to revolutionize healthcare through advanced nanoelectronic theranostic devices. The project aims to deliver high-quality products and prototypes in micro/nano electronics and nanomaterials, with a focus on healthcare and energy applications. It emphasizes innovation, scientific collaboration, and technological progress.
Speaking about the ISO 5 and 6 Clean Room Facilities and SWASTHA project, Prof. Rajeev Ahuja, Officiating Director, IIT Guwahati, said, “It is a sense of great satisfaction and immense pride to highlight that the faculty at the Centre for Nanotechnology, IIT Guwahati under continuous support from MeitY have worked tirelessly towards the success of establishing this pioneering Centre for Excellence. The visionary support by the MeitY has been pivotal in expanding the base of nanoelectronics inventions and innovations in the North-Eastern part of the country that are well in line with the twin missions of GoI – ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make in India”.
Speaking about the Centre for Nanotechnology, Prof. Akshai Kumar A S, Head of the Centre for Nanotechnology, IIT Guwahati, said, “The Centre for Nanotechnology at Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, established in 2004, with the Vision to Foster R&D in the interdisciplinary area of nanoelectronics. Develop human resources for multidisciplinary areas of science and technology at the nanoscale and Augment academic partnerships with industry. The Mission is to pursue excellence in teaching and research in nanoelectronics, develop state-of-art infrastructure in the NE Region, and collaborate with Industry & Academia. The Centre's research focus is to develop indigenous technologies and skilled human resources in Nanoelectronics, Health Care, Advanced Materials, Energy Harvesting, Nano-Biotechnology, Environmental Sciences, and Bio-Inspired Technologies.”
Speaking during the event, Dr. Sandip Chatterjee, Senior Director/ Scientist G, Ministry of Electronics, and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, said, “This visionary initiative by MeitY has led to the creation of a Clean Room National Facility that is certified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 5 and 6) in the Centre for Excellence in the North-East region of the country. This will allow the young budding scholars/start-ups/SME/MSME/MoSMEs to access state-of-art high-end facilities even from the remotest part of the country and materialize their dreams related to the execution of the high-tech R&D in the areas of nanoelectronics, utilizing this World Class facility. This is an excellent example of technology coming to the doorstep of researchers. Surely, in the near future, the initiative is to catalyze the development of cutting-edge futuristic technologies in the domains of nanoelectronics and nanomaterials to cater the various needs of the society.”
The state-of-the-art ISO 5 and 6 Clean Room Facilities are the first of their kind in the North Eastern region of India. They are dedicated to promoting awareness and training in micro/nano electronic fabrication, facilitating industrial research and development, and supporting the Indian Nanoelectronics Users Program (INUP). Jointly sponsored by MeitY and IIT Guwahati, these facilities create a controlled environment suitable for nanoelectronics and nanomaterial fabrication, semiconductor devices fabrication, quantum technologies development, enabling fundamental and translational research. Housed with the state-of-the-art equipment for device fabrication and development, including Electron Beam Lithography and Reactive Ion Etching, this enables the development of devices such as Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED), Organic and hybrid photovoltaic devices, Field-Effect Transistor (FET), Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW), and Microfluidic-based Sensors, utilizing advanced fabrication techniques.
The project and facilities are geared towards high Technology Readiness Level (TRL) Deep-Tech invention and innovation, start-up support, entrepreneurship development, long-term sustainability, capacity building, revenue generation, and collaboration with experts in India and abroad for both academia and industry professionals.
Following the inauguration event, Shri S. Krishnan, Hon’ble Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, undertook a tour of the PARAM-KAMRUP supercomputer facilities and 5G Test-Bed facilities at IIT Guwahati and the thriving Research Park facilities more specifically the laboratories of Karkinos Healthcare. He expressed appreciation for IIT Guwahati's ongoing efforts in supporting the Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives of the Government of India by developing a robust ecosystem for multidisciplinary research, development and commercialization.
